章 201: Chapter 201: The Ancient One is Injured
"Oh, Clark." Upon seeing Clark return, Tony's haughty voice immediately came from inside the Iron Man suit: "Don't look at me in this sorry state and think I'm defeated. I still have confidence in turning defeat into victory. Do you believe it?"
Does this guy have any more tricks up his sleeve?
However, seeing his extremely sorry state, Clark still gently shook his head and said, "I don't believe."
Tony was furious: "You don't believe and you still won't come help? Are you just here to laugh at me?"
Clark: ...
What has influenced Tony to become even more of a joker than before? With a sigh, just as he was about to make a move, his clenched fist loosened again.
It turned out that upon learning that his biggest reliance, Mr. Mandar, had been defeated by Clark, Killian, who had been utterly composed, suddenly panicked, and his fierce and explosive attacks revealed a slight gap.
This gap was not very noticeable, and even Tony, a seasoned fighter, failed to spot it during his conversation with Clark.
But a figure took advantage of this gap and charged into the raging inferno, her body erupting with flames even purer and more intense than Killian's!
This person was none other than Tony's secretary and hired help—Pepper!
Initially, upon seeing Pepper intervene, Clark wanted to rescue this reckless girl, but feeling the aura of the flames emanating from her, he decisively abandoned the idea.
Pepper's combat strength was definitely not inferior to Killian's at this moment!
In other words, the Extremis virus in Pepper had the same effect as the combination of Killian's Extremis virus and dark energy! And judging from her timing when she struck, Clark had every reason to believe that her combat talent was definitely superior to Tony's!
Pepper has the potential to become a superhero.
Even if she lacks combat experience at the moment, the Extremis virus ensures she won't be instantly killed in combat.
As long as it's not an instant kill, Clark is confident in rescuing her under any circumstances! Why then destroy her chance to temper herself?
Clark stood by, but Killian recovered from his brief shock, opened his mouth, and a fire beam shot towards Tony, completely ignoring Pepper who had entered the fray.
And to Killian's disdain, Pepper did not show any anger or happiness, but calmly landed a fiery punch on the back of Killian's head.
"Boom!"
Flames scattered everywhere!
Killian's head was smashed into pieces by Pepper's punch, like a watermelon falling from a ten-meter height.
Such a severe injury, even the combination of the Extremis virus and dark energy, could hardly heal him, and seeing Killian's body becoming increasingly heated, it seemed he was on the verge of exploding.
Then, seeing Pepper, fiery yet her clothes and hairstyle completely unaffected, Clark only wanted to say one thing: Pepper, the superhero, is mighty! At this moment, Tony dived down, grabbed the fiery Pepper, and flew far away, fearing she would be affected by Killian's explosion.
Only after they had moved a safe distance away did he turn back, just in time to see Clark had taken out the Tesseract, casually drawing a portal in mid-air, and with a flick of his finger, the portal directly enveloped Killian, sending him away on the verge of explosion.
Having just absorbed the dark energy within Mr. Mandar's body, Clark did not want to endure another dose from Killian.
Receiving impression points +1000 from Aldrich Killian!
Killian was defeated, defeated by Pepper who had never fought anyone before, and also lost his life in the process.
But in Clark's view, his defeat was well deserved, and his death was not at all unjust!
Clearly, Pepper's combat power had surpassed Tony's at the moment, yet he kept attacking Tony and chose to ignore the more dangerous Pepper.
Such a lack of discernment, who else but he should die? Watching everything return to calm, Tony once again embraced Pepper and flew back, the faceplate opened, and after hesitating for a while, he finally said, "Thank you."
"There's no need for thanks." Clark shook his head and said, "But I've discovered that Pepper's combat talent is really strong. If she had an Iron Man suit and underwent some training, her combat power would not be inferior to yours."
To spare Tony's ego, Clark did not utter the truth that she was more talented than him.
To Tony's relief, he quickly shook his head: "That's absolutely not happening. One superhero is enough for me. I won't let her fight in an Iron Man suit!"
Clark shrugged, finding Tony's almost doting approach a bit nonsensical.
Not wanting to meddle further, but after a moment of hesitation, he still said, "Sometimes, you might not be able to protect her completely, just like this time. In comparison, I personally think that having the ability to protect herself is a better form of protection."
After a pause, Clark casually drew a portal to Hank Pym's lab, adding, "That's all I have to say. The choice is yours. After fighting for so long, I'm tired. Goodbye!"
"Wait!" Seeing Clark about to leave, Tony quickly said, "You mentioned the original formula for the Extremis virus before..."
Although Tony remembered the information about the Extremis virus and was confident in reverse-engineering it and finding a solution, it would take time.
To cure Pepper sooner, he finally set aside his pride.
"The information is in my villa in Los Angeles. You can take it whenever you want."
"And the conditions?"
Conditions?
Clark was taken aback; he hadn't mentioned any conditions!
But seeing Tony's serious expression, he knew Tony didn't want to owe him a favor.
Now that Clark had become a representative of the superhero council and had the highest voice among superheroes, Tony's differing views on some matters made him a special existence to balance against Clark for the politicians.
Of course, this also suited Tony's own stance.
If Tony took something from Clark today, it would be hard for him to be uncompromising on major issues in the future.
Understanding the complexities, Clark didn't beat around the bush and directly pointed at Tony's chest reactor: "I want ten of these."
Receiving impression points +2333 from Tony Stark!
Hearing Clark's request, Tony breathed a sigh of relief: "I thought you wanted its synthesis formula."
"I'm not planning to research Iron Man suits; why would I need the formula? The finished product is more convenient to use." Saying this, Clark stepped through the portal he had opened: "It's settled then, goodbye."
Watching the portal disappear with Clark's departure, Tony suddenly turned to Pepper and said, "There are two Iron Man suits here; do you want to try flying?"
Pepper was stunned: "Do you really want me to become a superhero?"
Tony gently shook his head: "I just hope you can have the ability to protect yourself, so I can go out and have fun without any worries."
Then, a Queen Knight mech flew over, and Eris's voice followed: "If it's Miss Pepper, I can tailor-make a suit for her, ensuring it's no worse than what you designed."
Pepper up with longing: "Iron Man and Iron Woman, sounds pretty exciting, doesn't it?"
...
Returning to Hank Pym's lab, Clark handed over the three rings he had confiscated to Hank and Hope, the old and young geniuses, to study. He then went home, took a hot shower, watched the sunset to replenish his energy, and once again opened a portal to Kamar-Taj.
This time, Clark's goal was not about the mundane conflicts of the world but to seek advice regarding Dormammu, believing that the Ancient One had no reason to avoid him.
As soon as he stepped through the portal, Clark saw Mordo in the open square.
Mordo didn't seem surprised by Clark's arrival, as if he had been expecting him, and stepped forward to say, "Clark, the Sorcerer Supreme already knows why you're here. She's waiting for you in her chamber."
Clark smiled slightly, seemingly casually asking, "What about the question I asked you last time? Have you thought about it?"
Mordo was taken aback: "What question?"
"When faced with a choice, what kind of decision will you make? Will you stand by and watch the world be destroyed, or take a risk to break the rules?"
Mordo fell silent.
Seeing this, Clark sighed inwardly, patted his shoulder, and turned to walk towards the chamber.
Pushing open the door of the chamber, Clark immediately saw the Ancient One seated on a cushion. At the same time, he detected a faint scent of blood in the air.
Frowning slightly, Clark closed the door behind him, took a seat on a cushion opposite the Ancient One, and finally asked, "Are you injured?"
The Ancient One sighed softly, and in her breath, Clark detected an even stronger scent of blood: "I am not immortal; how could I never be injured?"
The Ancient One, as the Sorcerer Supreme, had been silently protecting the Earth, and the battles she faced were anything but easy.
Portraying a demeanor of having everything under control was for her subordinates to see.
In the three Sanctums and Kamar-Taj, everyone could afford to be chaotic, but the Ancient One could not. Showing the slightest weakness would be a severe blow to the morale of the entire Vishanti lineage.
Thus, even if it was pretense, she had to appear calm and composed, as if she was invincible in the multiverse.
This was her responsibility, unrelated to her personal feelings.
After a moment of thought, Clark finally said, "I actually have a method that could quickly heal your wounds..."
The Ancient One, however, raised her hand to stop him: "My life is now sustained by dark energy, and your sister's Holy Light ability is extremely antagonistic to dark energy. Having her treat me would only hasten my death."
Clark fell silent, but then listened as the Ancient One continued, "However, her abilities can be used to eliminate the dark energy accumulating in your body, although the process is very long and extremely painful."
"Oh?" Clark's interest was piqued: "You mean, she can help me?"
The Ancient One calmly stated, "It's only a temporary solution, not a cure."
Hearing this, Clark was not discouraged; on the contrary, he was invigorated: "Does that mean, Sorcerer Supreme, you have thought of a permanent solution for me?"
Unexpectedly, the Ancient One merely showed a serene smile, which made it hard to imagine she was suffering from severe injuries and enduring immense pain with every word she spoke.
And her answer did not disappoint Clark.
"Yes!"
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